Pitsford WeBs count

Hello

The WeBs count was completed at Pitsford Reservoir today - most of the waterbirds were north of the causeway with the biggest concentration in the Scaldwell Bay. The hundreds of geese present include up to eight Greylag x Canada hybrids, a Bar-headed x Canada hybrid, a hybrid individual I have difficulty in ascertaining it's parentage and small numbers of white and off-white feral Greylags.

Seven species of raptor were noted (I'm sure there must have been a Hobby there somewhere to make it eight) which included two Ospreys successfully fishing south of the causeway, a juvenile Marsh Harrier hunting north of the causeway (including attempted mid-water foraging) and a juvenile female Peregrine which was bravely escorted from the premises by two irate Common Terns.

Waders were represented by Lapwings and three Common Sandpipers and a Turnstone was seen a couple of times, at one stage landing on the causeway. Little Egrets seem to have thinned out somewhat, there were two Great White Egrets north of the causeway and the only ducks of note were two Wigeon, a Mandarin Duck and a Goldeneye. A new brood of Tufted Ducks are probably only the second brood there this year and a female Gadwall was with three half-grown youngsters. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was present but what has happened to the juvenile Mediterranean Gulls this year? Two Kingfishers, a Wheatear, a Common Redstart (hedge near Moulton Grange) and two Whinchats were the best of the smaller birds.

Butterflies included a Clouded Yellow seen by the dam, lots of Peacocks and Red Admirals on the buddleias by the Fishing Lodge plus Comma and Small Copper.

Elsewhere and the Lilbourne/DIRFT3 area provided views of a Wood Sandpiper, five Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers, a Curlew, a Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover, three Snipe, a Caspian Gull, four Yellow-legged Gulls and two Common Redstarts. An Osprey was seen in flight at Stanford Reservoir this morning and other birds included a Great White Egret and a female Red-crested Pochard.

Two Dunlin, two Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper were at Clifford Hill Pits early morning and three Common Redstarts at Blueberry Farm, Maidwell included two males.

This evening there was a splended treat with about twenty Spotted Flycatchers feeding in hedging and trees on the south side of Lamport Hall and visible from the bordering footpath reached off the A508. A big hatch of insects in the lee of the trees also attracted good numbers of Migrant Hawkers and many common birds were copying the flycatchers with tits, Nuthatch and a variety of warblers fly-catching from the hedges and bushes. Two or three Purple Hairstreaks were noted in an ash tree there too.

Regards

Neil M

Little Egret.

Female Gadwall with three ducklings.

Small Copper.

Red Admiral.

Peacock butterfly.

All images from Pitsford
Reservoir today.